Fences

Title: Fences
Author: August Williams
Date of Publication:
Literary Period: Contemporary
Genre: Drama

Describe the setting and then explain the relevance of the setting.
A town like Pittsburgh

Themes (Complete sentences and developed)

• No matter how many fences you put up to protect those you love, they will always find a way out and death will always find a way in
• In order to become secure in their character, one must realize their identity in the context of their heritage and culture.

Plot Summary
Act 1

• Scene 1
  • Establishes Troy and Bono as garbage collectors, and Troy wants the black garbage workers to be allowed to drive the trucks. Troy is flirting with Alberta.
  • We discover Troy was a baseball player, and that his first son Lyons is a musician, 34 years old, who still asks Troy for money.
• Scene 2
  • Gabe is introduced, Troys brother who was injured in world war 2 and he suffered from brain damage, convinced he is an archangel who died and went to heaven.
  • Troy feels guilty that he used Gabe's money to buy a house which Gabe used to live in until he went to live with Miss Pearl.
• Scene 3
  • Troy does not want Corey to focus on football, he prefers Corey to focus on work and family. Corey thinks that Troy has an infinite amount of money.
  • Corey wants a TV
  • Troy gives a whole speech about how he doesn't have to LIKE his child, he just has to be responsible for him and take care of him because its his job.
• Scene 4
  • Two week gap
  • It's payday
  • Establishes Troy's relationship with his dad and Bono's relationship with his dad
  • Troy tells the story of how his dad caught him with a girl and instead of being mad at him he chased him off so he could join the girl
  • Bono's dad was a wanderer and ended up just leaving.
  • Corey shows up to give his dad the 10$ back
  • Introduction of the singing

Act 2

• Scene 1
  • Troy admits to Rose that he is having an affair with Alberta, and that he is going to be someone else's daddy
  • He makes a deal with Bono that if Troy puts up the fence, Lucille gets a new refrigerator
  • Rose has a big monologue about how she has been standing by Troy through everything, and how she has a life too
• Scene 2
  • Rose finds out that Alberta died having the baby
  • Troy talks to Death at the end, telling it that he is gonna build a fence around his yard and Death can't get in
• Scene 3
  • Troy brings Raynell home
  • Rose decides she will be Raynell's mother, but Troy no longer has a wife
• Scene 4
  • 2 Month gap
  • Cory "strikes out", Troy kicks him out of the house and he leaves to join the military
  • Troy puts Cory's stuff on the other side of the fence
  • Troy and Bono see each other, they've grown apart
• Scene 5
  • Troy died, everyone was reunited for his funeral
  • Cory is in the military, Gabe is in a hospital, Lyons is in jail
  • Raynell is grown up
  • Gabe gets Troy into heaven *See: Closing Scene*

Memorable Quotes and their SIGNIFICANCE
"Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner"
"I had a dog, his name was Blue" song
"That's strike one, don't you strike out"
"I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom"
"Atavistic"
"You can't visit the sins of the fathers on the sons"
"You gotta take the crookeds with the straights" - You have to take the good things in life with the bad, accept what's given to you in life.

Describe the Significance of the opening scene

• The story about their colleague who stole a watermelon, and the boss tries to call him on it. Troy responds by saying he doesn't have time for that kind of people. Establishes him as gossipy, judgmental. He views himself as no nonsense.
• The second story about Troy wanting to change the policy where only white people can drive the garbage truck. Troy is an advocate for black rights, not afraid to stir the pot, he stands up for himself.
• The final story is that Bono has noticed Troy flirting with Alberta. Before Troy was married to Rose, he was a womanizer but he has been well behaved since then.

Describe the Significance of the closing scene

• The last scene occurs largely in stage action, there is limited dialogue. The ending is mostly movement.
• The last line is Gabe asking Troy if he's ready now
• Gabe feels like he has a moral responsibility for Troy getting into heaven
• When Gabe realizes that his trumpet will not make any noise, he has to face the truth that he is not an angel, and he begins to understand that he has no voice in society
• When Gabe realizes his trumpet will not do anything, he begins his "atavistic" dance
• This dance is a changing point; Lyons views the dance as Gabe being in pain, but Gabe rejects Lyon's pity and comfort
• Lyons attempts to stop Gabe's dance could be viewed as an attempt to be comforting, or an attempt to control Gabe
• We have this moment where Gabe is finally able to communicate in a raw and gargled manner, his sound resembling both song and speech, a desperate mix of expressions to try and convey his feelings and desires for Troy's future where his efforts are rewarded despite the failures of his life as a father and husband. Gabe wants Troy to be able to access redemption despite his flaws. And it works
• The final moment is when the gates are swung open; Gabe managed to successfully get Troy into heaven and allow redemption for Troy

Describe the authors style and give examples

• 
  

List important characters and their significance

• Troy: Main character, married to Rose, bad dad experiences, reformed prisoner.
• Bono: Met Troy while they were both in prison, also had dad issues,
• Rose: Troy's wife
• Lyons: Troy's son from his first marriage, 34, musician, still asks Troy for money.
• Gabriel: Troy's brother, 7 years younger, injured in WW2, thinks he is an angel who went to heaven.
• Cory: Troy and Rose's son
• Alberta: Troy's mistress, has their love child, dies giving birth
• Raynell: Troy and Alberta's daughter, Rose takes her in as her own daughter

List important symbols and their significance

• The dog, Blue
  • The love that Troy feels/wants to feel
• Garden
  • Rose, Gabe always brings her an actual Rose, she talks about planting herself in Gabe
  • Raynell is waiting for her garden to bloom at the end
• Baseball
  • Symbol of the American dream because for Troy baseball is his dream and his idea vision for his life
• The Trumpet
  • The trumpet has no mouthpiece and makes no noise
  • representative of the struggle Gabe has to represent himself and his lack of voice in society
  • Deepens the hallucination that Gabe is entirely responsible for Troy's salvation, but ultimately he makes no sound
• Fences
  • Uniting the family, an attempt to keep everyone together and to keep death out